In the 11-year period of 2005 through 2015, canines killed 360 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 64% (232) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. | More »

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Johnathan Quarles Jr. was killed by his step-grandmother's pit bull in Dayton, Ohio.

Sentenced to 3 YearsUPDATE 06/09/16: Today in a Montgomery County court, a judge sentenced Kimiko Hardy to 3 years in jail in connection to the mauling death of a baby who was under her care on July 20, 2014. In May, a jury found Hardy guilty on six felony counts after her pit bull killed her 7-month old step-grandson, Johnathan Quarles Jr. During opening statements of the criminal trial, prosecutors said that Hardy's pit bull, named Bussa, crushed the baby’s skull and removed part of his scalp.

The judge applied sentencing on the lower side; Hardy was facing up to 11-years. A few months before Johnathan's death, Hardy's dog attacked a mail carrier, causing the loss of mail delivery to her home for 6-months. Just weeks before his death, Hardy's pit bull attacked a beagle that was being walked near her home. Afterward, she was ordered to attend a course on "responsible dog ownership," which she did attend, but still failed to take steps to protect the baby from the dog.

05/6/16: Guilty on All Counts
On Friday, a babysitter in Ohio was found guilty on six felony counts after her pit bull fatally attacked her 7-month old step-grandson, Johnathan Quarles Jr., while he was under her care in July of 2014. Kimiko Hardy, 38, of Dayton was found guilty of four counts of felony involuntary manslaughter, one count of endangering a child and one count of failure to confine or restrain a vicious dog. Hardy faces up to 11-years in prison. Hardy will be sentenced on June 9.

The guilty verdict follows a 4-day trial in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. It only took jurors 3.5 hours to reach a verdict; prosecutors had a strong case. 3-months before her pit bull killed Johnathan, it charged a letter carrier, causing the worker to miss 2-weeks of work and the loss of mail delivery to Hardy's home for 6-months, prosecutors said. Just weeks before his death, her pit bull bolted off its property and attacked a pet beagle whose injuries required 11 staples.

After these two aggressive acts, Kimiko was ordered to attend a 150-minute training class at the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center (ARC) on responsible dog ownership, prosecutors said. ARC officials testified the course covered neutering, dog bite prevention, proper training, responsibilities of pet owners, how to confine a dog, laws about failure to control a dog and more. Just a few weeks later, Hardy takes a helpless baby into her home and fails to control the dog.

"Sadly, this defendant had warning that this dog was aggressive, which is why we are here today. This dog’s actions on July 20, 2104 were foreseeable." - Karen Groseth, Montgomery County assistant prosecutor

The case centered upon, was it "foreseeable" her pit bull would attack? The answer of course is yes. Hardy had knowledge of her dog's propensity to be vicious. Moreover, while taking care of a baby, she failed to adequately restrain the dog. Though she had two dog crates in her home, she did not use them. The pit bull was simply behind a "baby gate" that it busted through to attack the boy. The dog crushed the baby’s skull and removed part of his scalp, according to prosecutors.

We hope Hardy serves at least 6-years. This baby's death was preventable and foreseeable.

07/22/15: Pit Bull Owner Indicted
Just over a year after a babysitter's pit bull horrifically mauled a baby to death, a Montgomery County grand jury has indicted the babysitter on six felony counts. Kimiko Hardy, 37, the infant's step-grandmother, had full knowledge that her pit bull was dangerous when it attacked and killed 7-month old Johnathan Quarles Jr. on July 20, 2014 at her home on Riverside Drive. The little boy's family was visiting Dayton from Indianapolis and attending family events at the time.

“This defendant was well aware that her dog was a dangerous, even vicious animal, yet she failed to properly control the animal and it killed a completely helpless infant,” Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr.

Prior to killing Johnathan, Hardy's pit bull, named Bussa, charged a letter carrier in April 2014, which caused the worker to miss 2-weeks of work and the U.S. Postal Service ceased delivering mail to Hardy's home for 6-months. In the weeks leading up to the deadly attack, Bussa attacked a beagle owned by Isabelle Crickmore as they walked by Hardy's home. After that incident, Hardy attended required classes on "responsible dog ownership," according to the prosecutor’s office.

The grand jury indicted Kimiko Hardy on four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count of endangering children and one count of failure to confine or restrain a vicious dog, according to a news release from the prosecutor’s office. Given how much time has passed since Jonathan's mauling death, combined with the horrific injustice of Klonda Richey's death, including by this prosecutor's office, we did not believe any significant charges would ever be filed against Hardy.

07/22/14: Cages Seized; Postal Attack
Several key updates about the baby's death were made over the course of last night. Homicide detectives returned to the babysitter's home and seized two dog cages, a bag full of evidence and a hefty metal chain from the backyard. A family spokesman had earlier said that the babysitter's pit bull had been behind a baby gate; the dog jumped over the gate and attacked the baby. The outlook does not appear bright for Kimiko Hardy, who had the means to crate and secure the dog.

In addition to the June 3 attack involving a pet beagle, records obtained by the Dayton Daily News show that on April 25, animal control officers responded to a complaint from the Northridge Post Office that one of its carriers was attacked by a dog at the Hardy's home. The letter carrier escaped injuries by puting his satchel between his leg and the dog. Hardy was cited for failing to have the dog licensed and was given education. She bought a license for the dog five days later.

07/21/14: Baby Identified, Prelim Ruling
The Montgomery County Coroner's Office has ruled the cause of death of an infant attacked and killed by his babysitter's pit bull an accident. Johnathan Quarles Jr., 7-months old, died of blunt force injuries, according to the coroner's preliminary findings. The final coroner's report of the infant, who was visiting from Indianapolis, Indiana, will not be completed for up to 8-weeks. On Sunday, while under the care of his step-grandmother, Johnathan was killed by her pet pit bull.

ABC 22 Now reports that a family spokesman, the Rev. Victor Lee, said the family told him the dog jumped over a gate and attacked the boy. The step-grandmother tried to get the dog off, but could not. The news group also took a closer look at the June 3 incident involving the same pit bull. Isabelle Crickmore of Dayton was walking her beagle, named Riba, in front of 2219 Riverside Drive when the pit bull attacked. Riba received three lacerations and 11 staples, Crickmore said.

There is a criminal misdemeanor complaint against the step-grandmother for the June 3 attack. Court records show that a pre-trial hearing for the complaint was postponed last week. "I don't know if she did not show up or what circumstances allowed for a second continuance," Crickmore said. "When I saw that, it just blew me away." She wishes the legal system was quicker and that it did more on June 3. "It just really irks me because this could have been taken care of," she said.

According to the Montgomery County coroner's investigation, the baby is from out of state. The child's name has not been released pending notification to family members. The attacking pit bull has a history of animal aggression. A June 3 Dayton Police report shows that the pit bull attacked a beagle that was on a leash and being walked by its owner in front of the step-grandmother's home. The beagle's owner did not want to press charges, but "wanted the incident documented."

07/20/14: Family Pit Bull Kills Baby
Dayton, OH - In a developing story, homicide detectives where called out to a home on Sunday after a baby was killed by a family pit bull. The attack occurred at a home on the 2200 block of Riverside Drive at about 12:30 pm. At the time of the attack, the child's grandmother was babysitting the child. According to police, the grandmother took her eyes off the child for a "few seconds" when the pit bull attacked. The dog was seized by animal control and taken away.

Dayton Daily News reports additional information. The pit bull belongs to the grandmother who was watching the child for the day. Additionally, the on scene police supervisor said that the baby does not live at the address where the attack occurred. As is so often reported by DogsBite.org in occurrences of fatal attacks, this child was visiting the dog owner's home when the fatal attack occurred, and the child was under the care of a babysitter. More information is expected shortly.

Visiting Child + Babysitter + Pit Bull = Extremely Dangerous.

Separately, this is the second fatal dog attack in the City of Dayton in 2014. In early February, 57-year old Klonda Richey was brutally killed by her neighbor's two pit bull-type dogs after she stepped outside her home. Prior to the attack, Klonda had made at least 16 calls to 911 reporting problems with the dogs; had installed a double tiered security fence and surveillance cameras for protection and had attempted to get a civil stalking protection order against the dogs' owner.

16 comments:

I wonder if this dog has any 'record' with Dayton AC, either from complaints or 'adoption'.

scorched earth | 7/20/2014 5:44 PM | FlagB Cazz, I was reading an article on this mauling death just a few minutes ago. The pit bull attacked a leashed Beagle in June. What the hell is Mark Kumpf doing in Dayton? He is a liability to Montgomery County and he is a liability to the Ohio County Dog Wardens Association.

Your Quiet Neighbor | 7/21/2014 4:48 AM | FlagIf I was the owner of that leashed beagle, I would be pressing charges and filing a civil suit.

B Cazz | 7/21/2014 8:05 AM | FlagAttacks a dog in June; kills a kid in July. When is AC going to catch on that animal aggression is related to human aggression?

maultalk | 7/21/2014 2:30 PM | FlagAnd in more developing news, this same dog also charged a mailman in April -- "The United States Postal Service told 2 NEWS that a carrier was charged by a dog at the same address on April 25, 2014. A postal service spokesperson says the dog tried to bite the carrier’s leg, but the carrier was able to get his mail satchel between his leg and dog. He was not bitten."http://wdtn.com/2014/07/21/coroner-identifies-baby-fatally-mauled-by-dog/

Another death, another child, another Dayton incident that could have been avoided had AC actually protected the public.

Though, to be fair, AC all over the USA prefer to protect dogs and pits, than people these days. These prior attacks, while not surprising, would not have led to any different response elsewhere, they would have been blown off just the same. This is why we have to go back to city run AC, no more humane societies.

Your Quiet Neighbor | 7/22/2014 10:12 AM | Flag@RSM: Government-run AC is no panacea. Here in Pima County, Arizona, the Pima Animal Care Center has been infiltrated by animal rights extremists who care more about dangerous dogs than people. And Animal Care is part of our county health department. Methinks that they are derelict in their duty to protect the public health and safety.

RSM | 7/25/2014 2:13 PM | Flag^True, it seems the nuts have infiltrated all the AC departments these days, and put even dangerous dogs above people. And you cannot sue a city, though you ought to be able to when they are so derelict. Its worse here when humane societies take over, but nutters are nutters no matter where they find themselves.

We need to go back to PUBLIC SAFETY FIRST, not animal welfare. Let the humane societies deal with that stuff, and let AC do what they are supposed to- control animals and protect people.

Its not called Animal UN Control these days for nothing!

joelande | 5/07/2016 2:03 AM | FlagThis dog should have been removed and euthanized after it attacked the beagle.

Nearly every pit bull that has mauled or killed a child has a previous history of attacking other dogs. It's a red flag for trouble.

Certainly the dog should have been euthanized after attacking the mail carrier

There is NO training class on earth that stops these attacks by dangerous dogs or stops this kind of aggressive behavior. The Montgomery animal shelter simply enabled this child's death, and they should have faced litigation for certifying this dog "cured.".

People need to oppose these second chances and empty training classes in their communities. It is just dangerous dog enabling.

joelande | 5/07/2016 2:15 AM | FlagAs I read more articles, I realized that this is MARK KUMPF'S territory

Mark Kumpf runs animal control in Montgomery County and has failed to address dangerous dog issues again and again, and people have died as a result (not to mention the many pets killed and injured).

He has worked with Animal Farm Foundation and made appearance for them.

Even after the history of this dog, Kimiko Hardy's public defender tried to get the charges dismissed because Mark Kumpf and the Montgomery County animal control department NEVER declared the dog dangerous.

They protected this dangerous dog and this criminal owner to the end, till they killed a child, and they set up a situation where this criminal owner might have gotten away with this crime because of their failure to enforce laws and follow the rules.

"Montgomery County assistant prosecutor Lynda Dodd filed a motion intending to reference both previous incidents involving Hardy’s dog, including the warnings and education she received.

Souther also filed motions seeking for a dismissal of the case and to prevent prosecutors from terming Hardy’s dog as “vicious” or “dangerous” because the dog wasn’t labeled that way by any court prior to the incident."

Sarah | 5/08/2016 8:48 AM | FlagThe poor baby. The later stories on his killing and the trial have largely overlooked the pit's attack on a dog about a month earlier, but the initial stories mentioned it and quoted the beagle's owner as saying she wished something had been done earlier (ie, after her dog's attack) which would have prevented the attack on the baby. It amazes me how much violence a dog can show and still be handed back to the owner. Worse, with the full support of the 'humane' community, which is wedded to the idea that 'dog aggression' exists as a special, isolated behavior which has no connection to the dog being aggressive with people. Yet in news story after story, a dog which shows extraordinary violence to humans has a history of attacks on animals. It seems as if stronger laws regulating attacks on animals would help reduce the number of attacks on humans.

Dayna Hamilton | 5/09/2016 12:59 PM | FlagI'm glad grandma got convicted on all counts. I hope she serves the maximum sentence. I also hope MAYBE it sends a message to other pit owners. (Wishful thinking on my part I know.)

Animal Uncontrol | 5/09/2016 5:32 PM | FlagThe claim of "dog aggression does not equal human aggression" is anthropomorphizing. They are implying that the dog has the same level of discernment and agency as a human being. Thing is, as soon as it actually attacks somebody, all of a sudden it's "just a dog".

This nonsense is going to continue until everyone realizes that a dog is NOT a person, is not intelligent in any meaningful way, and as such cannot be held to the same standards. You can't assume that it's going to value a human life over the life of another animal.

This is an interesting topic, I may blog more about it later.

Miss Margo | 5/10/2016 1:21 PM | FlagNot to detract from the tragedy of this baby's horrific death, but I CANNOT BELIEVE that Mark Kumpf gets paid over $80K/year. The guy in the ice cream truck who plays a tune and sells treats to kids in the summertime provides more public service for the community than this callous incompetent ideologue asshole who is making an extremely comfortable wage for, essentially, not doing his job.

joelande | 6/09/2016 5:27 PM | FlagThese courses on "responsible dog ownership" are useless and worthless when it comes to a dangerous dog. They are worse than a waste of time. They are an illusion that things are ok, a claimed warrantee that the problems have been fixed,when they are not.

Just a money maker for somebody, and a pretense.

Oppose them completely if anyone tries to sidestep the dangerous dog declarations or euthanasia with this nonsense. This is how people and pets die.